Page 30 of A Very Naughty Christmas

Sara’s ears perked up. There was arobbery? That didn’t sound like their small town at all! It was all very exciting. Her heart was beating faster, but sliding her eyes over toward Daddy, he looked as stoic as a wax statue. For some reason, that made her heart swell with pride. After all, it meant that he was so experienced that he heard this stuff all the time. And he washers. Or, rather,shewashis. Still, plenty to be proud of.

“Officer Maxwell responding,” Daddy said as he held the radio up to his mouth. “Less than five minutes from the scene.”

Sara was watching his every move with round, eager eyes. Which was why she noticed the second he turned to her, his expression turning apologetic. Uh-oh. What was that about?

“Honey, I’m afraid I’m going to have to take you home after all.”

“What? But we’re almost there.”

“I know, sweetie, but I need to answer this call ASAP. I’m sorry. Another time.”

All thoughts of her pride in him vanished as she took in the disappointment. There were only three more days until Christmas. She didn’t have very long to find the perfect gift for Daddy and she certainly didn’t want to resort to grabbing a boring shave set or coffee mug.

“I know you’re disappointed, but—”

“It’s okay.” She brightened. “Why don’t you just drop me off here?”

“Here? I don’t know, Sara.”

“You were going to let me walk home anyway,” she reasoned. “And this is a much shorter walk. Besides, this way you’ll get to the bank faster.”

“Well…” Daddy was giving her a long, searching look. “All right,” he decided. “I’ll drop you off, but go straight home.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Daddy pulled the car over to the curb. “I’m really sorry about this. I’ll see you soon.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek.

“It’s fine,” Sara said benevolently as she opened her door. “I understand.”

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he promised.

“Don’t worry about me, Daddy. I’ll find something to keep me busy.” She stepped out onto the curb, closed the door, and waved until he was out of sight. As soon as he’d gone around the corner, she began to feel the slightest twinge of guilt, but she shoved it aside. After all, she hadn’t reallylied. Not exactly. She’d told Daddy that she was going to find something to keep her busy, and that was precisely what she intended to do.

Sara turned around and began to hum ‘Walking in a Winter Wonderland’ as she headed in the direction of the village.

* * *

Sara’s feet were sore but her heart was happy as she walked back home. She’d had a good time shopping. When she’d first approached the village and saw the familiar old-fashioned lamp posts decorated with boughs of holly and wrapped in green, natural-looking tinsel, her heart had constricted painfully. But she had been instantly flooded with dozens of warm, happy memories and was able to keep moving forward. After she’d gotten past that initial bout of bittersweet, she’d found that she enjoyed looking at the new items for sale. The windows were particularly pretty this year, and she found herself thinking that her mom would have loved it. The thought didn’t bring sadness with it this time.

She wandered from shop to shop, blowing through some quickly, stopping to linger at others. Some of the shop owners had been around since the tradition with her mother had started, and they each offered smiles and cheery ‘Merry Christmases’ without mentioning the absence she felt all too keenly. Maybe, in the coming years, she’d be able to hear and talk about her mother, but not this year.

By the time she was finished she was laden down with bags. She had fresh tinsel, big red velvet bows, a few candles—peppermint, of course—and a nativity. She also had a few boxes of lights and a fresh set of ornaments. It wasn’t much in light of the kind of decorating her family normally did, but it was just enough for this year. Maybe next year she and Daddy would have a bigger Christmas. The thought made her smile.

She’d ordered her usual peppermint mocha and sat looking over her purchases as she drank it in preparation for the walk home. When Sara caught sight of her cell phone lying at the bottom of the canvas reusable bag she’d purchased at the first store she’d been to—it was so brightly colored, a cream-colored bag with beautiful ornaments hand-painted on the front—she giggled aloud. This was the only time of year her phone could go missing without her noticing it! However, when she picked it up and saw that she had several text messages and three missed calls, her heart began to speed up.

It’s probably nothing, she told herself, but even she wasn’t convinced. When she saw Daddy’s number with the number three next to it in her call log, her stomach dropped.Oops. She might have messed up, just a tiny bit. But she’d call him back and then everything would be fine.

Except he’d ask her where she’d been, why she’d missed the calls. Hmm. That was a tough one. And then it hit her—she wouldn’t call back, not right away, but when she got home she’d go to her room and lie down. Then when she called him she could honestly say she was resting. Perfect!

Or so she’d thought. But the truth was, it was taking longer to get home than she’d planned on. And her feet were aching something fierce. She checked her phone—she had one more missed call and several texts that readAre you OK?with each one having more question marks than the last. Yep, no doubt about it. She would be in trouble, no matter how she managed to spin this. But maybe Daddy would take pity on her—it was true, shewastired—and she would be able to get a more lenient punishment.

Geez, her arms were absolutely screaming! And her feet—oh, her feet! How had she and her mom done this year after year? She kept checking her phone, noticing that it was taking longer than she’d remembered it ever taking in the past. Had the journey home normally taken them half an hour? It hadn’t seemed like it. But then again, they hadn’t walkedtothe village, either, and there had been two of them to split bags between.

Sara’s fingers itched to just pick up the phone and call Daddy to get a ride. But she dismissed the idea instantly. While it might provide some quick relief for her poor, tired legs, her bottom would pay the price! Plus, Daddy would be mad at her, and that would be even worse. No, it would be better just to soldier on. It wasn’t like she had many other choices.

After what seemed like forever—and was actually another fifteen minutes, which was almost just as bad—Sara saw the street sign that her house was on. Breathing a sigh of relief, she suddenly got a burst of energy and began power-walking toward home. She was about half a dozen feet away from her mailbox when she saw him.

Daddy was sitting on the doorstep, though he stood up when he saw her heading in his direction. Though she couldn’t see his face from where she stood, she could see his arms crossed over his chest, the muscles in them bulging. His big, broad shoulders were tight, and seeing him in his officer’s uniform made her tummy do a double flip. Seeing him in it when she was his adored little girl was one thing—seeing him look so stern and imposing when she knew she was in for it was another thing altogether.

---